Mary and the Manger

One of my leaders, Paula, started the day off with this amazing revelation that really brings me joy. She is reading this commentary on the book of Luke and she was talking about the birth of Jesus. That when Mary and Joseph came to Bethlehem they stay in an inn. The inn was for passing through shepherds and flock keepers. So as we all know there were no beds and they stayed where all the animals were, and Jesus was placed in a manger. The point that Paula was making was that the King of Kings who came to save the whole world was born in the worst conditions and on a night where unless an angel came to you, you didn’t even know He was born. No one knew, Jesus was born and the world was oblivious.

I think this really is amazing because I see women every day that give birth in conditions that aren’t acceptable. They are laboring with three women on the same bed, some in the floors, some make it to the laboring table (which still isn’t anything close to what would be used in the western world for delivery). These babies come into this world and no one even knows. They are in the worst conditions and then placed in a modern day manger (a crib with ten other babies). This has begun to wear on me over the last couple of weeks. This revelation though, thinking back and seeing how our King was born into this world. Remembering the impact He made on the world, even if He did have lower standards entering the world. He became our saviour. The most humble servant to the world. I prayed a prayer this week and will continue to pray it, that these little ones that we bring into this world. On the floor, table, or bed, that they would be world changers. That the conditions that they are born in and the lack of awareness of the world to their birth wouldn’t stop them from rising up into the fullness of what God has already placed in them. I am excited to think about the Moses, Abraham, or elijah that we are delivering here in Tanzania.

You are blessed to be a blessing.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

time is flying...

It is getting closer to Christmas. I am definitely not having a white one but it is still
a special one. We have so many different traditions that we are seeing come
through from different members of our team. We have an advent calendar,
stockings up, and even a Hanukkah candles that are being lit every night. It is fun
to see all these traditions shine through and be able to be apart of them all.

Our lives here have been busy and full. We are one week away from being done
with all of our lectures! Next week is our last week. We are officially half way
through this school! I can’t believe it. These amazing women and families have
become my family over these past 6 months. It makes me sad to think that we
only have six more months to go.

I have about four weeks left here in Africa. If there is one thing that I can’t get
over these days it is how God has just brought life to me. I think it has been a
collection of months of growing and letting God do a lot of healing in me, so now I
am starting to see the results. The new joy and life in my spirit. I now enjoy and
desire to soak up everything and live in the moment of today. I still look forward to
the future but I don;t ignore the present. The hardest thing for me in growing
with God, in my relationships, in different cultures, and the travel in these past
couple of months has been that I wasn’t slowing down in my mind or actions to
enjoy and take it all in. I was so busy trying to get to the next thing that I was
missing the opportunities that were right in front of me. I think this was a defense
mechanism that I had built up from my past. If you are always living in the future,
looking to the future for “better life” then you don’t stop and stare at the reality of
how ugly your life is at that moment or how beautiful it is. So these last months I have been stopped and I have stood face to face with today. It hasn’t been fun, most of it hard and painful.
The result though is magnificent. I really don’t know if I can do justice in
explaining the way that my spirit awakens everyday with an excitement and love
for life and today. This new excitement, love, and ability to face today makes me
even more captivated by Jesus. I often think that I need to come up with some
new angle to present Jesus because of all the material that is out in the world
today and with all the different views and theologies. I want to attract every one to
Him, but the truth is i always get back to the basics when i really want to
know or share about what he is doing in my life. Jesus saved me, over and over again. He has been doing this for 23 years and will continue too. He has brought me through a lot. Not very much of it being easy but the process and especially the end result He has brought me so much
healing, joy, love, freedom, life, and excitement.

So I am super excited about our last few weeks here but a little nervous that it is
going to fly by because our first two and a half months did. I am looking forward
to being back in Perth. I am blessed because my mom and little brother are
coming to see me when I go back to Australia in January! I am so excited! It will
have been exactly one year from the time that I last saw them that they will be
there!

Christmas is soon... I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!


You are blessed to be a blessing.

Merry Christmas

Hey!

Just wanted to throw some pictures up! Hope every one is getting ready to have a great holiday! Merry Christmas!!